# Is "Ride the Dark Trail" by Louis L'Amour a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ride the Dark Trail by Louis L'Amour (Bantam Books, 1972) is identified by: Bantam mass-market paperback original, 1972, in pictorial wrappers. True first is the US Bantam paperback original of 1972; no earlier hardcover precedes it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam mass-market paperback original, 1972, in pictorial wrappers
- A Sackett-saga novel (the Logan Sackett story) issued directly as a paperback; the first printing carries the original Bantam catalog number and cover price on the wrapper and states the first Bantam printing on the copyright page, with no later-printing line
- Later printings show a raised cover price and revised catalog numbering
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam mass-market paperback original, 1972, in pictorial wrappers |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Bantam mass-market paperback original, 1972, in pictorial wrappers. A Sackett-saga novel (the Logan Sackett story) issued directly as a paperback; the first printing carries the original Bantam catalog number and cover price on the wrapper and states the first Bantam printing on the copyright page, with no later-printing line. Later printings show a raised cover price and revised catalog numbering.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the US Bantam paperback original of 1972; no earlier hardcover precedes it. Bantam leatherette collected-edition volumes are later reprints.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable to a paperback original; there is no book-club hardcover to distinguish. Confirm the first printing by the original cover price and the first-Bantam-printing statement on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ride the Dark Trail* by Louis L'Amour a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ride-the-dark-trail
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.